ANALYSIS: The Silver Lining to Young Lawyers’ Well-Being Worries

Young lawyers are suffering more well-being problems, such as anxiety and depression, than their older colleagues, according to recent survey results from Bloomberg Law. But they also may be the age group best at getting the help that they need to overcome those issues.

Bloomberg Law’s recently released 2024 Attorney Well-Being Report discusses the divide between lawyers’ personal health and the demands of the legal industry. Overall, surveyed lawyers said that well-being is important to their own careers and to the legal profession, but they also reported that they are struggling with their mental health and well-being.

Age is one of the many demographics considered in the report, and digging deeper into this data reveals that lawyers in the youngest age group—25 to 34 years old—are experiencing lower overall well-being than older lawyers.

When asked to rate their overall well-being on a scale of 1 to 10, lawyers in the 25-to-34 age group reported a score of just 5.6, hinting that issues may be present. Scores steadily increased with age and maxed out at 7.8 for the 65+ group, indicating that lawyer well-being increases with age.

Fewer Years, But More Issues

Not surprisingly, given their well-being score, a whopping 79% of lawyers in the 25-to-34 group said that they have experienced anxiety since the beginning of the 2024, while 40% reported experiencing depression.

The number of respondents saying “yes” to experiencing anxiety drastically decreased with age, ending at 25% for the 65+ group. The number of those reporting depression also lessened with age, despite a small uptick in the 45-54 age group.

A Willingness to Seek Help

Younger lawyers might be facing lower overall well-being and higher anxiety and depression because they are still adjusting to the profession. They could be overwhelmed with learning how to practice law, considering that many law grads experience a practical skills gap when they enter the workforce. And for many, this is their first time balancing a full-time job and personal life.

But are younger lawyers’ responses truly reflecting higher rates of anxiety and depression, or do the figures instead reveal a greater probability of dealing with well-being issues and then seeking prescriptive measures to address these challenges?

Additional survey results suggest that it’s very possible that younger lawyers are more likely to realize when they are struggling. Of the respondents who indicated that they have experienced anxiety and/or depression this year, those in the 25-to-34 age group were almost twice as likely to say that they have a medical diagnosis for one or both conditions (61%) than those in the 65-and-older group (32%).

Younger lawyers are also more likely to seek prescriptive measures for mental health and well-being than their older counterparts. About half of surveyed respondents in the 25-to-34 age range reported that they utilize therapy and/or counseling services (51%) or prescription medication (49%).

Meanwhile, numbers for lawyers age 65 and older topped at just 10% for therapy and/or counseling, and 19% for prescription medication.

While the survey results show that older generations of lawyers appear less likely to seek help, that could simply be because they don’t need the help, given their lower reports of anxiety and depression. But it’s also very possible that older lawyers don’t have the awareness that younger lawyers have to realize when they are struggling.

Even though younger lawyers may be more in tune with their mental state, any lawyer suffering from well-being related issues can turn to a lawyer assistance program for help, regardless of their age. For information on the lawyer assistance program in your jurisdiction, see Comparison Table - Well-Being CLE Requirements & Lawyer Assistance Programs.

To access the full report, click here. Bloomberg Law subscribers can access the report here.

Subscribers can find related content on our In Focus: Legal Professional Well-Being page, our Well-Being Programs & Organizational Health page, and our Surveys, Reports & Data Analysis page.

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